Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I was thinking about this very job as I have springs to paint and new dampers to fit! Some years ago I made a special compressor with thin "fingers" to go in between the coils of my +2, now I come to do the little Elan and I find the spring coils are wound the other way so the angle of the fingers is wrong for them! I was considering making a new set of fingers until I saw the disc/wheel method but, I see you have bolt on wheels! I can only find one old disc as well!!

I too didn?t have a bolt on wheel but I did have two old brake disks. It works well. I have tried the ratchet strap method and stopped fairly quickly! The threaded bar allows for a slow and controlled release.

" allows for a slow and controlled release" That's always a good idea!

Bombay Racing Green wrote:I too didn?t have a bolt on wheel but I did have two old brake disks. It works well. I have tried the ratchet strap method and stopped fairly quickly! The threaded bar allows for a slow and controlled release.

That sounds like the winner. I do have two front brake rotors, but they?re not in bad shape and I planned on using them again. As long as I tension/release them fairly uniformly, I don?t think I?ll run into any problems down the road.

What diameter and length threaded rod did you use?

Fitted using ratchets, the large ones, not flimsy ones for roof racks.

On protec damper

Here is the one I mentioned. Heating the rods, I bent them, then cut and filed to make a decent hook shape, and wrapped in aluminum HVAC tape to soften the profile against the painted springs.

Looks good!

I use the same method as Alanr except my steel plates are circular, they had been pipe flanges that I adapted for th purpose. You need a hole in the plate that allows the spring to be collapsed/compressed whilst removing the keep. Rather like a valve spring compressor on a larger scale.

Richard Hawkins

I think they were either 8mm or 10mm threaded bar. I used longer nuts (about an inch long, can?t quite remember the exact term for them!). Worked well on both my front and rear Europa shocks.

Good luck.

My effort based on the Buckland one.
The upper ring splits to go between the rungs.